Ways To Help A Caregiver
Providing a gift-cards can very useful. Examples can be:
Grocery stores
Gas cards
Local restaurants
Facial, messages, & manicures
Amazon Gift Card: this can help caregivers order supplies or anything they may need. Encourage them to start an Amazon Wishlist of supplies and other needs that you can purchase and have sent to them. Refer to the Amazon items list of products that I use or are recommended by other Caregivers.
Praying for them and their family daily.
Offering any personal and helpful resources that you have access to or awareness of to help them.
Extending grace and patience if the caregiver you are checking on does not respond the same day or next.
Stay positive! Please don’t harp on the worst case scenarios or gossip about your aunt’s second husband that had the same thing. Trust me, doctors have stressed the worst case scenarios more than twice! Block people or limit information, if someone can’t be positive.
Affirm the caregiver’s role with words of affirmation, showing respect, and gestures of appreciation. Caregiving is a selfless calling that requires a great deal of compassion and endurance.
Ask before sending or bringing food. This reduces the risk of waste. Also consider dietary restrictions, allergies, or personal food restrictions that maybe in place that you may not be aware of.
Please be mindful that caregivers can have trust issues due to help being offered and not followed through with. Or the person offering help not doing what was asked of them or mistreating the loved one they asked to help with or care for. Caregiving takes ALOT of patience and is a true act of love because caregivers don’t get paid. Some of them won’t even ask for help. So, if you OFFER TO HELP, make sure you follow through with it. When you don’t, this pushes the caregiver to isolate and put more pressure on themselves. This can cause harm to them mentally, physically, and emotionally. So, please be supportive of your caregivers. They don’t take time for themselves unless they can trust their loved one is in good hands.
KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!! If you are aiding in the care of a loved one allow the primary caregivers or the designated family spokesman to release any information about their situation. They have more than enough to deal with without having to be concerned about answering questions and correcting lies from nosy gossiping people.
Celebrate the caregiver!!! Encourage and honor them. Some people think that if you are the child or the parent of the person being cared for it’s their obligation to do so. Obligation is defined as “being bound to something or someone; a sure or certain thing.” NOTHING IN LIFE IS SURE except for what I heard which are death and taxes. For individuals that are unable to care for themselves or do not have family that can help when it comes to their care, nursing home facilities can be a serve as an additional resource. Caregiving for a loved one is a bond NOT a bound relationship. In some cases that bond may require the use of a nursing home faculty and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! The main goal is that your loved one has the best care possible.
If you invite the caregiver and their loved one out to a gathering or event, please consider that it maybe harder for the caregiver to get themselves and their loved one ready at the same time. If possible, ask the caregiver if you can come over to either help dress or watch the loved one while they get ready. Also, consider assisting them to the car or taking them yourself.
